Missed Calls
by GLITTERXGURL
Summary: "It sounded like a cute boy." "You can't tell a boy is cute based on how he sounds, Mass." A few accidental calls to an allegedly cute boy has Claire Lyons in for a summer she won't forget.


been a while. happy summer, friends.

* * *

_The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. At the tone, please leave a message. To leave a callback number, press one. To start your recording over again, press two. After you are finished the recording, please hang up._

_Beep._

"Hey, it's me. Are you coming out with us tonight or are you still moping? Call me back."

* * *

_The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. At the tone, please leave a message. To leave a callback number, press one. To start your recording over again, press two. After you are finished the recording, please hang up._

_Beep._

"Hello? What is with you and not calling me back? It's been six hours, Massie. Six hours! I know you're bummed about Josh, but this is ridiculous, you can't ignore your best friend. You got a new phone, now let's go out so you can put some cute boy's number in it! Call me back."

* * *

_The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. At the tone, please leave a message. To leave a callback number, press one. To start your recording over again, press two. After you are finished the recording, please hang up._

_Beep._

"Massie Evelyn Block, if you don't call me back, I'm calling the police. You missed a really fun summer kickoff party last night. Which brings me to my next point: its _summer! _We need to be having the time of our lives, and we can't very well do that if you're not answering your freaking phone. Call. Me. Back."

* * *

_The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. At the tone, please leave a message. To leave a callback number, press one. To start your recording over again, press two. After you are finished the recording, please hang up._

_Beep._

"You're dead. Don't even bother calling me back because I'm literally going to murder you."

* * *

"Going to Massie's!"

"Are you wearing sunscreen?"

"Yes!"

"When will you be back?"

"Whenever I'm done fucking killing her!"

"Claire, appropriate language please! Have fun, sweetie. Behave!"

Claire Lyons rolled her eyes, grabbed her car keys, and slammed the door. It was the official first day of summer break. After a messy breakup, her best friend was MIA, and most likely screening her calls on her new phone. It had been Claire's idea to get the new phone – Massie should've been kissing her ass!

The drive to Massie's was one she could do with her eyes closed, which she'd done once, on a dare. Sure it was dangerous, but Claire didn't really say no to dares. This time, however, her blue eyes were open and alert, already envisioning her hand slapping Massie's face.

She entered the Block estate without knocking and found Massie in the living room, watching the OC with what looked like the entire snack section of Whole Foods. Before Claire could say anything, Massie's eyes narrowed.

"I told you to call my new number and leave your number!"

"I did," Claire rolled her eyes, flopping beside her best friend on the couch. "Like, six times."

"No you didn't." Massie shook her iPhone.

"Massie. I called to invite you out last night, then I called again to wonder why you never called me back, then I called _again _to let you know you missed a fun beach party, then I called to let you know I was going to kill you. Be grateful my anger dissolved on the drive over here."

"Claire, you didn't call," Massie dialed her voicemail, pressed speaker phone, and waited.

"_Hey, it's Massie. Sorry I missed your call. Leave a message and I'll get back to you! Well, maybe."_

_Mailbox empty._

"So? You deleted my messages so I couldn't accuse you of moping. Which, by the way, you are," Claire gestured to the snacks and the OC. "When did you change your voicemail? I called this morning and it was still the default one on all phones."

"I changed it in the store _yesterday _when I got the new phone. You're making all of this up so I can't accuse you of not wanting to be around me while I mope," Massie turned back to the TV and unpaused it. On screen, Seth Cohen stood atop a coffee cart, proclaiming his love for Summer Roberts. Massie sighed, eyes tearing up. "We were _so _Seth and Summer. Josh was my destiny."

Claire ignored the moping and looked at her phone. "914-220-4871. Six outgoing calls."

Massie paused the TV again. "That's not my new number."

"Yes it is."

"Um, _no_, it's not. 914-220-9871. _Nine. _Not four."

Claire blinked once. Twice. "Are you sure?"

"Um, yes."

"Shit." She immediately redialed the number.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling back to leave a message and apologize. This person's going to think I'm a complete psycho! What if it's some confused elderly lady who doesn't know that she's not Massie Evelyn Block, and now she's living in fear because she thinks I'm coming to kill her-"

"Hello?"

"Oh! You answered!"

"…My phone was ringing…was there some other way to respond to that situation?"

"It's just I've called several times in the past twenty-four hours –"

"That was _you_? Who _are _you?"

"And you never answered! I kept getting your voicemail, which you should really personalize so people know who they're calling. I thought I was calling my best friend's new number, but I guess it's one digit off from yours, and she's got messy writing so her nines look like fours, and I was calling you instead. Which I now feel terrible about. I'm so sorry."

"Who's number is it?" Massie whispered. "Is it a confused old lady? Does she think she's me? Put it on speakerphone!"

Claire rolled her eyes, but pressed speaker.

"Oh. Um, yeah. No problem."

"I just…was calling again…to apologize. There was a possibility that you were some poor little old lady, confused and alone, thinking I was coming to kill her. Also, um, I'd like you to note that I said that jokingly. I wasn't joking at the time, see, my best friend, who I was trying to call, she just broke up with her boyfriend and wasn't answering any of my calls –now we know why, right?- and I was just worried."

"So worried that you threatened to kill her?"

"Well…yeah."

"I see."

"I am going to hang up now. Glad that this has all been settled. Again, I apologize. Seriously, I'm sorry I filled up your mailbox and I hope you didn't miss any other important calls because of me!"

There was a laugh on the other end. "It's fine. Glad you found your friend."

"Me too! So…bye."

"Bye."

Claire hung up and sighed. "Thank god I settled that. I sounded really mad in that last voicemail, wouldn't want anyone calling the cops and reporting death threats."

"That didn't sound like a confused old woman, did it?" Massie's eyes narrowed and a sly smile appeared on her face. She almost looked like pre-breakup Massie.

Claire shrugged. "It could've been a confused woman."

"It sounded like a cute boy."

"You can't tell a boy is cute based on how he sounds, Mass."

"Sure you can! For example, Ryan Atwood sounds cute and, oh look, he is cute! Oliver sounds sketchy, and guess what, Claire? He is!"

"The OC is not real life!"

"Don't you ever say that again!" Massie glared at her best friend. "Call him back. Talk. Don't ramble, it makes you sound crazy."

"Yes, it does, and I just rambled a billion times on his voicemail and then while actually speaking to him. He thinks I'm crazy. I'm not calling back."

"Come on. He sounded cute. Find out his name, let's creep!"

"No."

"Claire. It's been a while since you dated anyone."

"That's not true, Chris Plovert and I hooked up during spring break."

"You hooked up, that's not dating!"

"Who dates anymore? And, um, we don't know anything about this guy. He could be a murderer."

"Sweetie, you were the one who left him a voicemail saying you were going to kill him."

"_You_!" Claire cried. "I was going to kill _you_! And I will if you don't drop this."

"I dare you to call him. At least find out how old he is. He sounded our age!"

"Massie –"

"I dared you!"

"Fine," Claire rolled her eyes, agreeing partially to get Massie off her back, and partially because she refused to turn down a dare. Massie knew it and was using it against her.

Massie smirked triumphantly, unpausing the OC once again. "Good thing you've got unlimited minutes."


End file.
